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Baby just never had enough milk

Has anyone experienced having a baby who seems like he/she doesn't get full with breastfeeding? I did. My baby has been overweight since his first weeks because he keeps on asking for more. Even when I run out of milk, he would cry and beg for more. We resulted to combining formula milk and breastfeeding on his second month.

Thank you for posting this question. I'm really sorry to hear you had this experience.

Unfortunately it sounds like you did not have enough breastfeeding support in the first month of your son's life and good breastfeeding support (combined with sound breastfeeding knowledge) really is essential.

It is virtually impossible to overfeed a baby who is exclusively breastfed (i.e. given only breastmilk and nothing else in the first 6 months of life). Your body knows how much milk to produce for your baby but what is important is that you breastfeed on demand in the day and night. For most newborn babies this will mean that they want to feed every 2-3 hours for up to around 40 minutes at each feed (in the day and night). Breastmilk works on a supply and demand basis so the more you put your baby to the breast the more breastmilk your body will produce.

You actually can't run out of breastmilk if you breastfeed on demand because your body is always producing it/ has some ready. However, this won't always be obvious to the mum (particularly if it is your first time breastfeeding) because there certainly are times of day when your breasts will be more full and they will be more full before a feed too.

There is something called the 'fourth trimester' which refers to the first three months of a baby's life. The theory is that in this time babies need to almost be as close to you (and spend as much time with you) as they did in the womb. Babies don't just breastfeed to get the nutrients they need - they also feed for reasons such as comfort and bonding. This is why a newborn baby may often cry if you unlatch them after a full feed - they want to breastfeed for comfort and to be near to you and this is totally normally and a great way to give your baby all they need.

What made you think your baby was overweight? This would be extremely rare for a newborn breastfed baby - pretty much unheard of. It is normal for breastfed babies to jump up several percentiles in the weight-age charts (which are really mainly useful for formula fed babies).

Getting the latch right is really important when you are breastfeeding. There is more about this in this previous thread here. With a poor latch a baby will want to be on the breast for very long periods of time. A lactation consultant, midwife or breastfeeding peer support worker should check the latch for you.

I also wonder if you wore your baby in a sling at all or co-slept with him? Both of these can help babies to settle and feel comfortable and both are particularly helpful when you are breastfeeding.

Again, I'm sorry that you were not given the best breastfeeding support or knowledge when you first had your son. The fact that you did give him some breastmilk (particularly in the first month of life) is wonderful as it has such extraordinary properties which formula milk can never come close to. Advantages of breastmilk include: increased immunity from many childhood illnesses, cancer reducing properties for mum and baby, gentle on a baby's delicate digestive system and there are many more.

You are very welcome. Remember to celebrate the breastfeeding time you had with your son - this is an amazing gift you have given him. Yes there is so much to adapt to when we first become mums - again I'm sorry that you didn't have the breastfeeding support that you needed.